Category Archives: Two Weeks on Raw

I got back from a run just before lunch today to find Jack sprawled out on the sofa looking annoyed, bored and sad all at the same time. Oh dear. When I asked him what the matter was, he just said he was knackered and of course it had to be the raw foods fault. I asked him if he enjoyed the banana, goji berry and macadamia milk smoothie that I made him for his breakfast, and he just grumbled again. I took that as a ‘no’… I then started to become genuinely concerned that the food I was giving him might really be the cause of his problems; and if it was, then we needed to re-evaluate the situation. I’m aware that he is detoxing, and that means emotionally too, but I just felt something wasn’t quite right. It’s not as if I’ve been starving him, far from it. So I asked him for more details as to how he was feeling, to see if there was anything I could do. He said he was just felt very low in energy…

Jack – “…but, well…it might have something to do with the fact that I didn’t get to sleep until one o’clock in the morning..”.

Me- “Riiight. So you had a late night. Have you drunk any water today?”

Jack – “Erm… No. Not had any water at all”.

Me- “At all?”

Jack – “No. Oh and I lifted a load of heavy machinery at work before I had my smoothie”

Me – “Riiiight.”

So maybe this was a bit more than the raw foods making him tired then. In fact it was definitely more than raw foods making him tired! I mean for flippin’ hecks sake! Had I have known that Jack was doing physical labour today, I might have given him something a bit more substantial than a banana and goji berry smoothie! But most day’s he is sat at his desk in front of a computer, and a big smoothie packed full of goodness would normally have sufficed. And he’d not drunk any water, even after lifting heavy machinery. It’d be weird if he didn’t feel tired after that! So I made him a large fresh juice made with pear, lime, celery, apple and carrot, and a big lunch made of yesterday’s left overs. He soon perked up. He then went to work and made sure he drank plenty of water, and he started to feel much better. In fact he came home from work a different person. He said he has found it easy to just point the finger to the raw foods for any negative state he may be in. But he knows now that it was more likely the late night and no water that was making him feel so rough. He felt great though this evening and said “I feel very centred tonight. I feel happy”.

We did have a lovely evening. Jack helped out in the kitchen tonight and made the Watermelon and Tomato Gazpacho again, and he also made the salad to go with the Fish(ish) Cakes. My best friend Beob came over for dinner too, and we all felt great after eating. Sally said “Well, I tell you what – that does it for me. Those fish cake things were delicious”. We all said that we felt better after eating than we did before. That’s what’s bizarre and amazing about raw foods – you often put your knife and fork down after finishing your meal and feel more energised than you did before you came to sit down at the table. How good is that?! We talked for ages after dinner and there was just a very lovely, happy vibe. It was ace. Jack say’s he’s up for the gym tomorrow morning, too…. excellent.

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Check in tomorrow to see if things just keep getting better, and drop by for a new raw recipe, too!!!

Jack – “I think I’ve turned a corner, Elaine. I feel really good this morning. In fact, I’d go so far as to say I feel really happy!

HALLELUJAH!!! I made Jack and Sally a Raw Chocolate and Coconut Milkshake for breakfast to celebrate (see below for recipe!). Jack woke up first thing feeling energised and ready for the day.There was no grumbling, in fact there were smiles all round. He said he felt completely different to how he has felt for the last few days, it was as if something had shifted. He wasn’t craving other foods so much and he felt in a really up beat mood. I made him a fresh juice and another portion of his beloved Gazpacho Soup for his lunch. I received this text from him after he’d eaten it – “That was tremendous, superb, amazing, incredible, edible, delectable, vegetables. Thanks!“.

🙂

Sally was happy and much more centred today, too. She had a simple salad and a couple of pieces of fruit for her lunch today. She says she is really enjoying the feeling of being healthy. She no longer has any massive cravings (apart from the egg, obviously), but her biggest concern is when I leave. She is worried that she’ll just end up staring at the fridge thinking “Help!”. So tonight she was in the kitchen with me making the Raw Pesto for the courgette spaghetti. This is her favourite dish and one that she is really keen to learn how to make for herself. She couldn’t believe how simple it was, I mean, it really is just whizzing a few ingredients up in a food processor. Anybody can do it. The most taxing part may be the fact that you need to soak the sunflower seeds. A lot of people go “Ooo, soaking seeds? I’m not sure about that… Oh, that all sounds a bit much for me that… Sounds too much like hard work”. Does it? Really?! It only takes about 30 seconds to pour some sunflower seeds in a bowl and cover them with water 🙂 It’s just the fore thought that might seem something like ‘hard work’, but once you’ve done it a few times, it’s very easy. Promise…

If I was worried about how Jack and Sally would get on without me when I’m gone before, I’m certainly not now! I have just left the dinner table after being served a.. (wait for it).. a five course meal made exclusively of raw, living foods prepared by non other than Jack himself!!! And let me tell you, it was absolutely amazing! We had Raw Creamy Cauliflower Soup to start, which was so unbelievably delicious I just had to get the recipe off him to give to you (see below!). To say we’ve not been in the kitchen that much together, I was doubly blown away by what he brought out. But before I go on to tell you about Jacks raw culinary delights, I need to tell you that our fourteen day journey together will now be ending tomorrow. I have to get back to the mother land that is Yorkshire. I was hoping to go back on Monday, but circumstance has made it that the only time I can get back is Saturday night. We will still be having a raw day until the evening, and Sally is coming with me to the land of the white rose, so we shall be having a reet raw feast when we get there; and a raw breakfast on Sunday too (or maybe I might let Sally have that egg she’s been fantasising about…hmmm…). But still, check the site on Sunday as Jack and Sally will be giving you their own thoughts and feelings about how the two weeks personally went for them! Should be interesting! (Argh!)

Although Sally and myself are heading up north, Jack will be staying here, so as of Saturday night he is free to do as he pleases. What is fantastic though, is the fact that he isn’t really craving other foods anymore. He has no desire to go out and get junk food. That’s a pretty huge step in the right direction, I’d say! He feels like he has really got somewhere during these two weeks on raw foods, and he doesn’t want to loose all the progress that he has made. He say’s he has no interest in getting a kebab or anything like that. He wants to carry on eating raw by himself for a few days and slowly bit by bit reintroduce healthy cooked foods back into his diet. Very wise. He now feels like he has a wide spectrum of healthy food options available to him, and both him and Sally now feel far better equipped to lead a healthier life style.

But anyway! It’s not all over yet! Let me get back to telling you about Jack’s raw food masterpiece that we had tonight. Prepare to be mightily impressed. Here is the menu…

Jack’s Raw Living Cuisine

Raw Creamy Cauliflower Soup

Feathered Mushrooms with a Garlic Sauce, served with mixed leaves

Avocado and Cashew Cocktail in a Beetroot Dressing

Chilli Hummus with Baby Plum Tomatoes, Basil and Julienne Carrots

Chocolate Mousse with Hazelnut Crumble

I mean, what?! It was incredible! All this from the man who was mainly living off packets of ham and takeaways only a few weeks ago. It’s amazing what’s possible, isn’t it? It was such a joy to eat this and seeing what Jack created filled me with even more inspiration and enthusiasm for raw foods. Other than the Raw Creamy Cauliflower Soup and the Chocolate Mousse with Hazelnut Crumble, Jack didn’t use a recipe for any of the meals. The Garlic Sauce the mushrooms were in was heavenly. The Avocado and Cashew Cocktail in a Beetroot Dressing came out looking just like the 70’s classic dish it was aiming to replicate. So clever! The small bowls of Chocolate Mousse were smooth, creamy and decedent, and I especially loved the cheeky little layer of maple syrup at the bottom. Mmm. But the star of the night, other than Jack himself, had to be the Raw Creamy Cauliflower Soup. It was such a treat for my taste buds that I shall definitely be making this one on a regular basis; as will Sally and Jack. Here’s the recipe so you can, too!

In the food processor, grate the shallots using the grater blade (or use a standard grater). Replace the grater blade with the S blade and process the 4 cups of cauliflower florets, along with the shallots.

Add the mixture from the blender jug, and process until there are no big chunks and the mixture is smooth.

Pour into soup bowls and top each with some finely chopped parsley, some very thin slices of shallot and a generous serving of ground black pepper.

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Sally – “I am so impressed with Jacks five course raw dinner tonight, the food was just delicious! He is a really good cook, but normally when we have vegetables they’re swimming in cream or butter; which of course is very tasty, but not very good for your health… The raw garlic sauce that went on the mushrooms tonight was so tasty, after I finished eating it I really felt like I had eaten something cooked from an Italian restaurant! Very satisfying. It’s lovely to know that we will be able to eat raw when we want to, and that it isn’t such a scary unknown world anymore. It’s become part of our lives and we’ll be able to dip into it whenever we like. Amazing!”

Jack – “I enjoy getting creative in the kitchen, I very rarely stick a recipe so it was fun getting to create something raw by myself for the first time. There is no way I would have been able to do this before these two weeks though; the idea of raw food was just so bizarre, I wouldn’t have known where to start. But after eating only raw foods for two weeks, and seeing what is possible, I now feel very confident to make raw meals for Sally and myself now. I know we won’t stick to it 100%, but we will definitely be eating a much higher amount of raw foods; be it in the form of a fresh juice, smoothie or a full on raw dinner like tonight! I’m really not craving any ‘bad’ foods now, and that is amazing”

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Check in tomorrow to see how our last full day together went, find out what we had for lunch and check in for a melt-in-your-mouth Peppermint Chia Chocolate recipe!!!

Before I begin, I must first apologise. Yesterday, I promised you a recipe for Peppermint Chia Chocolate. But alas and alack, this can no longer happen. Well it can, it’s just that I don’t have an enticing photograph of the Peppermint Chia Chocolate to show you, and I do like an enticing photograph to match a recipe. The reason I don’t have a photograph of the Peppermint Chia Chocolate that I put so much love, care and attention into making, is because when we got back from the theatre (ooo, yes daarling we go to the theatre don-cha-know), we got back to find the large tupperware of Peppermint Chia Chocolate empty. EMPTY!!! Who would do such a thing?! Well it couldn’t have been Jack and Sally, as they were with me all day. It couldn’t have been me as I would never do such a heinous thing as eat an entire tupperware of chocolate all to myself. Ever. So that only leaves two suspects. Jess, and Daisy. Jess isn’t known for her greed, and she isn’t normally one to steal. She is also very short, lazy and probably wouldn’t be able to reach the counter. So that leaves only one suspect. Daisy. Daisy… was this you??? Did you do this? Did you eat ALL THIS CHOCOLATE YOURSELF?!!! I didn’t need a reply. The crazy look on her face and the speed at which her tail was wagging told me everything I needed to know. It was her alright…

But worry not! Instead of a recipe for the Peppermint Chia Chocolate, I shall now give you an incredibly special recipe for the Chocolate Macaroons. Dear, Lord. They are unbelievable. When you are making these however, be careful. The chocolatey mix that you then turn into balls is ridiculously tasty. And as much as raw food is good for you and all that, eating all the macaroon mix before it even enters the dehydrator is not. And yes, I am speaking from experience. You may have guessed that you will need a dehydrator for this recipe; but if you don’t have one feel free to make the mix and eat it just as it is. Remember though – you’ve been warned!

In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients and stir well to combine. You can also use a standing mixer with the paddle attachment.

Using a small ice cream scoop, your hands or a big tablespoon, spoon rounds of the dough onto dehydrator sheets.

Dehydrate at 115 degrees F for 12- 24 hours, or until crisp on the outside and nice and chewy on the inside.

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I nearly forgot to tell you about what we had for our last lunch together! We had a bit of a ‘bitza’ lunch… bitza this and bitza that. Jack made a lip smackingly good tomato and basil salad, and I made us all some Raw Juice Pulp Burgers in the dehydrator. They may not sound particularly appetising, but they are. So there. Jack loved them and said they were equally as good as the Walnut Burgers. I will give you the recipe for them another time, as they really were very tasty, and they are a perfect way to use up the leftover pulp after juicing. We dipped the Raw Juice Pulp Burgers in some left over Lemon Sauce, and had bowls of olives, avocados, red peppers and romaine lettuce to play with as well. So that, my friends was that! The last supper! Oh God, I better go before I start getting weepy… I’ll save that for tomorrow. It is still only Day Thirteen after all. So don’t forget to check in for the last day of our raw food journey together, where Jack, Sally and myself will be giving you our thoughts and feelings on how we think the whole Two Weeks on Raw went, and whats in store for the future! See you then (sniff, sniff)….

Two weeks ago Jack and Sally went from eating foods like a typical English fry up and steak and chips, to eating nothing but a diet made up of raw vegan foods. This meant no meat, fish, dairy, eggs, soy, cooked grains and pulses, sugar, coffee, black tea – and nothing heated above 45°c. The phrase ‘life’s not worth living’ may spring to mind, but it is…honest! Instead of their usual diet of meat and two veg coated in cream, they ate a tonne of raw fruit, vegetables, nuts, sprouted seeds and grains, olives, seaweeds, healthy fats from avocados, coconut butters and various cold pressed oils in an effort to turn their eating habits around and give their bodies a long awaited surge of enzymes, vitamins and minerals.

As this was such a dramatic dietary change for them, I was their personal raw food chef and coach for the entire two weeks. I was able to create scrumptious and exciting raw dishes that would keep them interested and enable them to see that eating healthily doesn’t have to be boring. At all. Jack and Sally were not looking to become 100% raw, and that is not what I was advocating, but they were ready for a big change. They wanted first hand experience of what eating raw foods feels like, to see if it would make them more conscious of the foods they put into their body, and to find out for themselves if this could actually make a difference to their lives. So did it?! I’ll leave it to the ‘Get RaWcous!-Two Weeks on Raw’ stars themselves to tell you….

JACK:

If you would have asked me a couple of weeks ago if I thought eating only Raw food was an easy change to make, I would have said, hell no! Luckily it’s all about who you know. So when we got the chance to have Elaine as a live in chef to take us through it we jumped at the opportunity. Going into this I was more excited than nervous. I knew Elaine is a great chef so I was looking forward to being her guinea pig and tasting all of her amazing meals that she blogs about. I knew it would be hard, but having Elaine put in so much effort for us means that would have extra pressure to make sure we don’t let her down. So we had a huge pressure to stick to it, and a live in chef to prepare all of our meals. This is sounding real easy! So was it? Yes and no. Everyone who knows me will know that I am a big meat eater. Don’t get me wrong I love vegetables… I just love them more cooked in cream & bacon, next to a nice lump of roast lamb, with a nice full glass of merlot next to the plate. My lifestyle is far from that of the stereotypical raw foodist and it did make it hard for me to make the transition. After the initial honeymoon period of the first week any time I got tired, fed up or bored all I wanted was my old diet. Luckily I had my new staff member on call to make me some amazing nut and chocolate snacks to get me through. After a couple of days of sitting on my backside ungratefully accepting delicious labour intensive foods I realised what an arse I was being… Sorry Elaine! Because I’m used to having a heavy carb meal late at night, sleeping on it, then having a big bowl of porridge for breakfast I’m not very good at actually knowing when I’m hungry. I normally eat through routine so adjusting to a low carb vegan diet meant that I really knew when I needed something. My energy levels were very up and down and a few hours after eating I would tend to have a lull, which meant I needed raw snack foods and juices on standby. Other than that it was actually pretty easy, and it becomes easier the longer you do it.

So do I still think it’s hard to go raw? Not at all. The food is remarkably easy, but you do need some knowledge and preparation. If you are doing the 2 weeks without the luxury of a live in chef you will have to be up for spending extra time in the kitchen every day. You will need to get fresh foods every couple of days and get used to a new set of skills. I’ve never heard a blender used so much, but if you want a creamy cashew sauce, or a delicious raw chocolate mousse you will get used to it quickly. All I would recommend is that you get some guidance, pick some exciting recipes and that you make sure you have a varied diet so you are exited and well nourished. Although I think that 100% raw is not for me, I do think that the last two weeks were invaluable and it’s been potentially life changing. It has changed the way I look at food. After buying sweet chilli peppers that were full of sweeteners and some sun dried tomatoes that were coated in preservatives I learned to look at the label and see what’s in there. I want to know what goes into my body. I’ve also got used to juicing old veg before it turns and giving my body a real boost of nutrition… and spirulina, the most nutritious substance on earth. Why aren’t we taught about spirulina at school? The stuff is amazing, gives you an instant energy boost with no crash and is packed full of goodness. I’m going to take away some great recipes and knowledge, so who knows? Maybe the next time I do a raw detox my lifestyle won’t have to change as much!

SALLY:

So my two weeks of eating nothing but raw foods has reached an end. I have not woken up this morning and gone running for the nearest cafe for a fry up but instead feel saddened by going into the kitchen and not finding Elaine whizzing up some fruitful power juice for me to start my day with, so instead I grab the manual juicer and squeeze four oranges to make some fresh OJ, delicious. The kitchen seems strangely cold, surprising really considering the oven has not been on for the past fortnight and I’m finding I am missing the strange smells of some vegetable pulp dehydrating in the corner and an array of nuts and seeds in various guises around the place (sunflower seeds soaking in a bowl, brazil nuts in the blender, almonds whipped into a paste). Does this mean I will be straight out to by a dehydrator, well no, not yet but i will be getting a juicer! and have re-evaluated what foods i put into my body every day. I have had no desire to return to eating meat and will also avoid cow’s milk, replacing it with soya or nut milk, as far as egg’s go, well I still really fancy an egg! There was no raw food I disliked and everything was packed full of flavour, for me its all about lazinesss and if I could have a pemanat live in Elaine, I would!

Jack has done the first supermarket shop since Elaine has gone and the kitchen is packed full of fruit, veg, nuts and seeds, in the fridge there is goats cheese, fresh olives, a carton of eggs and hiding behind all of that, a premium steak. That’s Jack’s treat, he has really missed eating meat, considering his usual diet would consist of two meat meals a day, and I don’t blame him for wanting the steak, the boy did good over the two weeks and is looking noticeably brighter, we both are. My skin feels great and my eyes are white. Jack has a new found energy and I, not being an excersisor or one described as a high energy person (Sal, yeah she’s too much, high energy that one) have not noticed a shift in my energy but do feel generally healthier in spirit and an feeling of inner smugness that this experience has brought me. I will continue to eat Raw and combine it with a diet of regular cooked food, if I replace one meal a day with purely raw foods then long may this smugness continue.